Unfinished
by ForensAnthro
Summary: "I once told you the legend of the angry warrior. I never finished the story." Voyager is almost home, and a cliff-hanger has Captain Janeway on the edge of her command seat...


_September 2012_

_Author's Note: For some reason, the creative juices just haven't been flowing lately. Therefore, I present to thee a goopy J/C endgame fic! Slightly AU. Pleeeeease let me know what you think in a review- these reviews "nourish me for a long long time!" _

Captain Janeway looked up from her desk as a chime came at the door. "Enter," she called.

The doors opened to frame a tall silhouette.

"I thought I'd stop by," Chakotay said quietly. "This might be our last chance to talk alone for some time."

"True," Janeway responded coolly.

She rose stiffly from her desk and gracefully slipped over to the window, her back to Chakotay. In the dim light of Janeway's darkened quarters, it was just her, her first officer and millions of stars- what's more, they were familiar stars.

For Voyager was almost home.

Having finally made contact with Starfleet several days ago, Janeway knew that she was to dock her ship at Deep Space Nine, that the president of Earth and top Starfleet officials would be waiting there to greet her. She knew that her family was doing well and would be overjoyed to see her.

Presently, however, there was only one thing that Captain Janeway truly cared about.

"Chakotay, what happened to us?" she asked quietly.

He moved to stand just behind her, a little to the right. It's a familiar stance; it's how they arrange themselves for beam-ups, when waiting for the turbolift, when commanding the bridge. It's where he's always belonged, Janeway thought to herself.

Chakotay gathered his thoughts for a silent moment. Matching Janeway, he kept his deep brown eyes downcast as began to speak:

"I once told you a story about an angry warrior. I never finished the ending.

" Along his journey, the angry warrior realized that he was in love with the beautiful, wise woman who led the tribe. Tried as he might, he could never stop loving her. Although he had promised to do everything he could to lighten her burden, the pain became too much for the angry warrior- there was no peace left in his heart. And so he drifted away," Said Chakotay softly. Janeway kept her head bowed, letting his words reverberate through her ears like sad music.

"Eventually, the wise woman led the tribe home. The warrior realized he had broken his promise and grew angry once more, at himself. The angry warrior would give anything to have the brave woman warrior's trust once again," Chakotay finished sadly.

Janeway raised her head, willing the tears glimmering in her piercing eyes to not spill over her cheeks. She was not entirely successful, as Chakotay saw when she silently turned to face him.

"He always had it," Janeway whispered, stepping closer to him- so close he could detect a sweet, subtle scent, of roses and coffee. Her eyelids fluttered as she began to recite a story of her own:

"For years, the woman warrior fought to bring their tribe home. After so much time spent in battle, she forgot that she ever could love someone. Once they reached home, she remembered that she could- and realized that she did love the angry warrior, with all her heart. She only hoped that he could forgive her."

Chakotay closed the distance between them, tenderness in his eyes. "She has nothing to be sorry for," he murmured, just before his lips met hers.

Their kiss was as bittersweet as it was natural; through the simple union of warm skin, seven years of frustration and tension and shattered hopes melted away in a brief moment that lasted an eternity. Janeway's slender fingers found themselves entangled in Chakotay's uniform jacket, his arms encircling her waist. Passion soon consumed sweetness, and they swayed together, outlined against the stars- Chakotay pulled her ever closer, wanting to feel every inch of her pressed against him-

At last, far too soon, need for oxygen forced them apart. Breathing heavily, Chakotay rested his forehead on Janeway's, nuzzling her lower lip affectionately. "Kathryn," he whispered, a smile curling his full lips. "Was that really an ancient tribal story?"

Janeway gave a brilliant smile, bringing a gentle hand to his face, tracing his tattoo with her thumb.

"No," she agreed finally. "It just made that easier to say."

_Did you like it, hate it, want to send it through a Warp 10 space flight and turn it into a strange lizard creature?! Please let me know! _


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